Southern Utah Railroad Locomotives

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This page was last updated on June 22, 2019.

(Return To Southern Utah/Castle Valley Railroads Index Page)

The mines of both the Consolidated Fuel Company at Hiawatha and the Castle Valley Coal Company at Mohrland were close and their two respective railroads, Southern Utah Railroad and Castle Valley Railway were both bound for Price.

A joint ownership agreement was signed in July 1909 that allowed the Castle Valley company half ownership in the Southern Utah tracks from Price, south to a junction near the mouth of Miller Creek Canyon (Hiawatha). The deadline for completion was October 1910.

The Southern Utah Railroad was completed in late December 1909, and the Hiawatha mine began shipping in early January 1910.

The Castle Valley Railroad was completed in February 1910, and the Castle Valley mine at Mohrland went into production at the same time.

At the time Utah Railway operations began in November 1914, with D&RG using its own locomotives and crews, there were seven SURR and CVRR locomotives on the property: Southern Utah 50, 100, 102, 104, and Castle Valley 101, 103, 105.

(Read more about the locomotives of the Castle Valley Railroad)

Before receiving its first locomotive in mid October 1909, Southern Utah Railroad rented D&RGW 4-6-0 503 in July 1909, for its use until its own number 100 arrived. The first track was laid at Price in mid May 1909.

As of April 1911, "The company has four locomotives, three of which are of the ordinary type, and which ply between Price and the tipple. The other is a Shay, which is run clear up to the mine when necessity requires." (Salt Lake Mining Review, April 15, 1911)

Southern Utah Railroad showed four locomotives as being on-property at the time of a mortgage completed in August 1911: SURR 50, 100, 102, 104.

Poor's 1914 Railroad Manual, page 1244, shows four locomotives for Southern Utah Railroad.

Summary

Roster Listing

Lima Three-Truck 70T Shay -- 1 locomotive

Road
Number		 Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
SURR		 Date
Retired		 Notes
SURR 50 2274 Mar 1910 Apr 1910 1918 To Booth-Kelley Lumber Co. no. 5, at Wendling, Oregon, in 1918

Southern Utah received its Shay locomotive no. 50 on Monday evening, April 3, 1910. The new locomotive was taken out on the line for the first time on April 6th. The Shay was reported as costing $10,800. (Eastern Utah Advocate, April 7, 1910; May 26, 1910)

Notes:

  1. Locomotive Specifications: (3) 12x15-inch cylinders; 36-inch drivers; 140,000 pounds engine and tender weight (loaded).
  2. Southern Utah no. 50 was found to be excess after Utah Railway took over its own operations in December 1917, and in 1918 the Shay was sold.
  3. Southern Utah no. 50 was sold in 1918 to Booth-Kelley Lumber Co. no. 5, at Wendling, Oregon; then sold in 1922 to Flora Logging Co. no. 5 at Carlton, Oregon.
  4. (View the Southern Utah no. 50 data at ShayLocomotives.com)

 

Lima 2-8-0 -- 1 locomotive

Road
Number		 Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
SURR		 Date
Retired		 Notes
SURR 100 1088 Nov 1909 Oct 1909 Nov 1916 To United States Smelting, Refining & Mining's smelter in El Paso, Texas, in 1916

The Southern Utah Railroad received its first locomotive, number 100, a 2-8-0 from Lima Locomotive Company in Lima, Ohio, on Wednesday, October 20, 1909. (Eastern Utah Advocate, October 21, 1909, "Southern Utah Engine Arrives")

An advertisement in the January 1910 issue of Locomotive World magazine, published by Lima, showed Southern Utah no. 100, a 2-8-0 with an engine weight of 148,000 pounds (in working order); weight on drivers of 129,000 pounds; 50-inch drivers; boiler pressure of 200 pounds; and 20 by 24 inch cylinders, and a tractive effort of 32,600 pounds. Tender holds 5,000 gallons and 10 tons of coal. Also mentions that Castle Valley Railroad no. 101 was a duplicate of Southern Utah no. 100.

An advertisement for Lima Locomotive and Machine Company in the June 17, 1910 issue of Railway Age Gazette used the same image of Southern Utah no. 100.

Notes:

  1. Locomotive specifications: 50 inch drivers; 20x24 inch cylinders; 159,900 pounds engine-only weight.
  2. Southern Utah no. 100 was ordered on April 26, 1909; arrived at Price sometime between October 14 and 21, 1909.
  3. Southern Utah no. 100 was a duplicate of Castle Valley no. 101 (Lima 1106; December 1909).
  4. Southern Utah no. 100 was transferred to United States Smelting, Refining & Mining's smelter in El Paso, Texas; moved on February 20, 1916 to D&RG's Salt Lake City shops for overhaul, numbered as USS&R 2060; needed in Mexico to ease a motive power shortage on NdeM due to Villa revolts, to be operated between Pachucha, Mexico and Laredo, Texas; sold by USSR&M to Birmingham Rail and Locomotive (dealer); puchased by San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway on June 16, 1923, numbered as no. 270; renumbered to Texas & New Orleans 870; retired and sold for scrap to Southern Scrap Metals company on September 12, 1950. (Disposition after USSR&M from Southern Pacific Steam Locomotive Compendium, page 402)

 

Lima 2-8-0 -- 1 locomotive

Road
Number		 Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date Shipped
From Builder		 Utah Ry.
Number
SURR 102 1127 Dec 1910 5 Dec 1910 Utah no. 2

Notes:

  1. Locomotive specifications: 50 inch drivers; 20x24 inch cylinders; 136,500 pounds weight on drivers; 155,500 pounds engine-only weight; 260,425 engine and tender weight (loaded)
  2. Local newspapers did not mention when SURR no. 102 arrived in Price; likely delivered later in December 1910, or in January 1911.
  3. Southern Utah no. 102 was leased to Utah Railway on December 1, 1917, then sold to Utah Railway as their no. 2 on July 1, 1918; scrapped by Utah Railway at Martin, Utah, in September 1939.

 

Alco-Brooks 2-8-0 -- 1 locomotive

Road
Number		 Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
SURR		 Utah Ry.
Number
SURR 104 47772 May 1910 Dec 1910 Utah no. 4

"The Soutrhern Utah railroad has recently ordered an already built locomotive, which will give the line four locomotives, all told. One is of the same type as that in use into Price, while the other is much larger. Both are to be shipped the first part of December, and should be here and in use by the middle of next month." (Price News-Advocate, December 1, 1910)

(Apparently, this "much larger" locomotive never arrived on Southern Utah rails.)

Southern Utah RR received its no. 104 on Tuesday December 27, 1910 at Price, at the same time that Castle Valley RR received its no. 105. (Eastern Utah Advocate, December 29, 1910)

Notes:

  1. Locomotive Specifications: 51 inch drivers; 21x28 inch cylinders; 32,600 pounds tractive effort; 136,500 pounds weight on drivers; 155,500 pounds engine-only weight; 260,425 pounds engine and tender (loaded).
  2. Southern Utah no. 104 was purchased from Alco-Brooks stock in May 1912. The original locomotive was one of 10 engines ordered in January 1910, with SURR 104 being ordered as Buffalo & Susquehanna 177. The B&S order was canceled in April 1910, and all 10 locomotives were completed for Alco stock in May 1910. Alco no. 47772 was sold to SURR in December 1910. Alco records show a delivery date of May 1912, after the mortgage was paid for. (SURR #4 was identical to Tooele Valley #11, which came from the same B&S group of engines.)
  3. An article in the Salt Lake Mining Review, April 15, 1911, shows four locomotives on hand on Southern Utah; the Shay and three "ordinary types," being the three 2-8-0s. This indicates that SURR no. 104 was on hand in April 1911, and was likely under a lease-mortgage similar to the other SURR and Castle Valley locomotives.
  4. Southern Utah no. 104 was leased to Utah Railway on December 1, 1917, then sold to Utah Railway as their no. 4 on July 1, 1918; scrapped by Utah Railway in April 1956.

Southern Utah McKeen Car

Southern Utah's McKeen Car -- Information about Southern Utah's one-only McKeen car.

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